As per the ministry data, the economic impact of tourism has been notable too, with Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) rising from INR 1,69,917 crore in 2022 to INR 2,93,033 crore in 2024. For the January-April period of 2025, FEEs have already reached INR 98,289 crore, according to provisional estimates.
Union Minister for Tourism and Culture of India, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, shared data in the Lok Sabha session, highlighting India’s tourism performance over recent years.
Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India have demonstrated resilience, increasing from 64.37 lakh in 2022 to 95.21 lakh in 2023, representing a growth of nearly 48%. This positive trend continued in 2024 with 99.52 lakh arrivals. The first four months of 2025 have already recorded 32.41 lakh foreign tourists, indicating continued momentum in the tourism sector.
Foreign Exchange Earnings
The economic impact of tourism has been equally impressive, with Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism rising significantly, as per the data.
- 2022: INR 1,69,917 crore
- 2023: INR 2,66,045 crore
- 2024: INR 2,93,033 crore (Revised Estimates)
- 2025 (January to April): INR 98,289 crore (Provisional Estimates)
This represents a 73% increase in foreign exchange earnings between 2022 and 2024, underscoring tourism’s vital role in India’s economic landscape.
Growing Contribution to GDP
The tourism sector’s contribution to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has shown growth too.
- 2021-22: 1.75%
- 2022-23: 5.09% (Revised estimates)
- 2023-24: 5.22% (Provisional estimates)
Other Initiatives driving growth
Minister Shekhawat emphasised that while the Ministry of Tourism does not currently maintain dedicated tourism offices overseas, it actively promotes India as a premier tourist destination through various initiatives in collaboration with Indian Missions abroad.
He highlighted that tourism development is primarily the responsibility of individual States and Union Territories, with the Central Government providing crucial support through flagship schemes:
- Swadesh Darshan: Recently revamped as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0), focusing on developing sustainable and responsible destinations through a destination-centric approach
- National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation & Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)
- Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development
In a significant development for the current financial year 2024-25, the Government of India has sanctioned 40 projects across 23 States with an allocation of INR 3,295.76 crore under the ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale’ Scheme, he added.